May 19, 2016

Minutes of the May 19, 2016 Meeting
The Rotary Club of Mobile
Call to Order: The meeting was called to order by Robby McClure at 12:15 P.M. followed by an invocation delivered by Bill Kinnaird. Tom Martenstein led the club in song accompanied by Bill Oppenheimer on piano. Tom then introduced visiting Rotarians and members’ guests.
Announcements: Robby McClure made the following announcements:
• The Mobile Sunrise club will not meet on Wednesday, May 25.
• The Rotary Club board will meet on May 26 following the meeting.
• Please see Peggy regarding changes to the upcoming roster.
• Les Greer announced that the club will be subsidizing a number of members to attend the Rotary Convention to be held in Atlanta next June. The sign up date to take advantage of a sizeable discount is May 28-June 6, 2016, he said.
Program: Juvenile Court Judge Edmond G. Naman – NEST of Mobile
Bill Oppenheimer introduced Judge Edmond G. Naman who presented an enthusiastic program outlining the successes of the NEST Program here in Mobile. He recognized several of his board members who were present and praised their efforts in volunteering to tutor and mentor young people as well as families at risk. He described these young people as being at a point in their lives where they believe no one cares. NEST works to change that, he said.
Judge Naman explained that NEST stands for “Nurture, Equip, Strengthen and Transform” and that it works to serve the needs of at-risk families. Once approved by the court, a team of volunteers work with families with one or more children on probation – a term of usually six months, he said.
Each family receives guidance from the volunteers to attempt to break the cycle of poverty by addressing four areas: education, communication, transportation and mentoring. Families can be helped in many areas including preparing resumes, creating a family budget, adult education and getting their children involved in team sports programs. He gave examples of young people who had been written off by school officials suddenly making “a’s” for the first time in their lives.
Judge Naman encouraged his audience to become involved and volunteer for the NEST program and visit info@nestofmobile.org to learn more. Robby thanked the speaker and said that in the judge’s honor a donation has been made to Wilmer Hall. The meeting adjourned at 1:00 P.M.
Tom McGehee

May 12, 2016

Minutes for the May 12, 2016 Meeting
The Rotary Club of Mobile
Call to Order: Robby McClure called the meeting to order at 12:15 PM and invited Michael Pierce to offer the invocation. Larry Sindell led the group in song accompanied by Bill Oppenheimer on the piano. Tom Martenstein welcomed visiting Rotarians and guests of members.
Announcements:
• Robby said that a board meeting will take place after the May 26 meeting.
• Updated photos or changes to contact information for the new rosters should be given to Peggy as soon as possible.
• Robert Greer announced that next year’s Rotary International Conference will take place in Atlanta on June 10-14, 2017. A block of rooms at the Ellis Hotel on Peachtree Street is now being held and he asked that those interested sign up by May 28, 2016 to take advantage of a much reduced rate.
• New Member: Bo Mattei introduced the Hon. Henry Callaway as the club’s newest member. After a lengthy career at Hand Arrendall, Henry was recently named a U. S. Bankruptcy Court judge.
Program: Al Hutchinson, President & CEO Visit Mobile
John Dukes introduced fellow Rotarian Al Hutchinson who brought the audience up to date on developments relating to Mobile tourism efforts. A power point included a video promoting Mobile’s new logo of “Born to Celebrate” showcasing many of the city’s best features and attractions. Charts also revealed that some 15,000 are employed in the field which has a $1 billion economic locally.
Al noted that Mobile is enjoying 3 million visitors a year – a number our mayor would like doubled. Some of the plans to achieve that include a new Facebook site appealing to future cruise ship passngers as well as a revamped website which allows potential visitors to book everything from local hotels to dinner reservations on a single site.
He also discussed a new Tourism Ambassadorial Program which is designed to help train volunteers and front line employees at local hotels and restaurants about Mobile’s unique history and attractions. This will allow them to successfully interact with out of town visitors he explained. He invited all to visit www.Mobile.org for further information.
Robby thanked Al for speaking to us and said that in his honor a donation has been made to the Boys and Girls Clubs of South Alabama.
Adjournment
The meeting adjourned at 1:00 PM.
Tom McGehee

May 5, 2016

May 5, 2016 Minutes
Submitted by Tommy Fulton, Contributing Editor
Call to Order: The meeting was called to order by President Robby McClure. Garrett Williamson gave the invocation, followed by Tom Martenstein, who led us in song, accompanied by Bill Oppenheimer at the piano. Tommy Blankenship introduced our guests along with visiting Rotarians.
Announcements: Members were reminded to submit NEW photos or Roster Changes to Peggy Bugg. Tommy Fulton made a plea for donations to the Cart Project to fund Alzheimer’s Research.
Program: Cart Blackwell introduced the speaker, Watt Key, an author and winner of the Southern Fiction Award.
Watt began his talk by describing his time in the Mobile Delta. He procured a lease on some property in the Delta and began building a camp. Throughout his 15 years of life experience at his “swamp camp”, he compiled a series of essays telling stories of the people he encountered. Eventually, that collection of essays became a book titled, “Among the Swamp People.”
As a life-long story-teller, Mr. Key used pictures to show the personality of many of the surrounding camps. One picture captured the “trailer park”, which was an old Airstream camper and a broken down dock. He talked about some of the personalities, including his mentor, Bart, and Bart’s wife Pam. Apparently, Bart taught him everything he knew about corn, and swore that he could live a lifetime off of a single bag of corn.
Another neighbor was “George”, who spent the majority of every day drinking and fishing, beginning early each morning. Watt told about Crazy Dan, who would “howl” all night, and “Randy”, considered the unofficial Mayor of Chuckfee Bay.
Finally, Mr. Key told the story about his book, “Alabama Moon”, which was made into a movie. Unlike most authors, he was allowed to attend the film production. He soon realized why that rarely happens, as he became a distraction for the director.
Mr. Key then entertained questions.
The meeting was adjourned at 1:00 pm.

April 21, 2016

Minutes of the Rotary Meeting
May 21, 2016
By Christopher Jones
The meeting was called to order by Robby McClure. Darrell Randle gave the invocation. Larry Sindel led in song with Les Greer providing piano accompaniment. Tom Martenstein introduced a guest and also a visiting Rotarian from Birmingham.
Saty Putcha introduced the student guest – Madison Dortch from Williamson High School. Ken Neimeyer introduced new member David McGrath. Robby McClure recognized Virginia Guy as a Paul Harris Fellow.
Starting the program, Bill Kinnaird introduced Pat Guyton, Executive Director of the Child Advocacy Center. Handling cases of physical and sexual abuse across Mobile County for over 28 years, the Child Advocacy Center now consists of 28 professionals from 8 different agencies that share common office space. While many areas of the country have multi-disciplinary teams that meet regularly to review and process cases, the Child Advocacy Center is exemplary because all services are under on roof. The nearest similar organizations are located in Dallas and Houston, both of which were modeled after the Child Advocacy Center in Mobile.
The process for abuse cases starts with a joint interview by a team of trained professionals. The team works hard to gather evidence in an expedited manner, uncover any false accusations, and determine a plan. The child may be examined by a dedicated medical staff and referred to counseling to begin the recovery process. One specially trained District Attorney then handles founded cases through the court systems. This was the 2nd group in the nation to adopt such a “vertical prosecution” structure; as a result, 90% of cases result in prosecution – far above the national average.
The Child Advocacy Center handles roughly 1,200 active cases. Each year they see about 500 new cases, of which approximately 85% are founded and of which 60-75% are prosecuted. All of this work is done on an annual budget of $850,000 that pays for staff and overhead as well as for the dedicated District Attorney and counseling services. Counseling is offered on an individual basis, in group settings by age, and for parents.
In addition to handling cases and providing counseling services, the Child Advocacy Center provides free transportation to appointments, services or the court for victims who might live anywhere across the county. And the Center also provides age-appropriate educational programs regarding child abuse in schools. Of the 138 school districts across Alabama, only 7 were offering any education regarding child abuse; only Mobile County Public School System had a comprehensive program across the whole district.
After his presentation, Pay Guyton answered several questions from across the room. In honor of his speaking, a donation was made to a local charity.
Robby McClure adjourned the meeting.

June 30, 2016–Haley Van Antwerp / Innovation Port AL

Hayley Van Antwerp, Executive Director, Innovation PortAL
Hayley Van Antwerp is the Executive Director of Innovation PortAL. The Innovation PortAL is a small business incubator / accelerator designed to encourage the successful development of entrepreneurial businesses on the Gulf Coast.
Hayley’s started her career in equity research sales in New York City. Transitioned to management consulting and provided technology strategy consulting to a number of well-known banks and broker/dealers. Several years and many frequent flier miles later, she decided to leave management consulting for a favorite client, Merrill Lynch (now known as Merrill Lynch/Bank of America). While at Merrill Lynch/Bank of America, Hayley worked in a myriad of technology strategy positions in the corporate risk management and global information security spaces. Most recently she managed domestic and international teams of associates specializing in technical solutions for acquisition & divestiture activity.
Hayley moved from New York City nearly three years ago when her husband received a job opportunity in Mobile. She has been working remotely for Merrill Lynch/Bank of America until she recently resigned to pursue the opportunity to become the Executive Director of Innovation PortAL.
Hayley is passionate about economic development, especially here in Mobile. She has been volunteering in her spare time for nearly a year to help create Innovation PortAL. Hayley is involved in our community in a number of ways. She is a board member of Mobile Museum of Art and the University of South Alabama’s Melton Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation. Hayley is also member of Providence Hospital Foundation’s Young Professional’s group and has been recognized by Mobile Bay Monthly’s 40 under 40 program.
Hayley is a cum laude graduate of Vanderbilt University. She and her husband Bragg have four children — Thomas, 5; Emory, 4; Charles, 1; and Henry, a canine, 7.

June 23, 2016–Pam Patterson & "Has-Beens" / Distinguished Young Women Program

Pam Patterson
Pam, originally from Birmingham, graduated from Briarwood Christian School and the University of Alabama Birmingham. She is a Summa Cum Laude graduate of the University of Alabama with Master’s Degrees in Elementary and Early Childhood Education. Currently, she serves as the Assistant Director of Field Services for the K-6 Education Program at the University of South Alabama where she recently was honored with the Excellence in Clinical Supervision Award by the College of Education. In addition, Pam is an educational consultant specializing in Six Traits of Writing and Talents Unlimited, a national model for developing and enriching creative and critical thinking. For twenty-three years, prior to accepting the position of Executive Director for Distinguished Young Women, Pam and her husband, Eric, volunteered in various capacities for Distinguished Young Women. Since retiring twelve years ago from the Mobile County Public School System, she has served as a judge for state programs, a member of the Travel Support Team, and for eight years, as the Chairman of National Finals. In January of 2014, she was named the Interim Executive Director for Distinguished Young Women and then in October she was selected to serve in that position permanently. Pam also volunteers in the Music Ministry at Spring Hill Baptist Church, working with various choral groups and playing handbells and serves on various leadership committees there. She is involved with the Light of the Village, an organization governed by Volunteers of America and has worked to assist in coordinating their annual fundraiser, “A Night in the Light”. As Executive Director of Distinguished Young Women, she has worked with the University of South Alabama to establish a relationship with the Mobile Public School System in which the National Field Director for Distinguished Young Women and she work with students in the high school signature academies and the elementary schools to promote positive life-skills acquisition through a variety of workshops and activities aimed at encouraging students to “Be Your Best Self”, broadening the scope of the national outreach of Distinguished Young Women. She and Eric are the proud parents of two sons, Benjamin and Jonathan, and four grandchildren.

June 16, 2016–Mike Rogers / Rogers & Willard

Michael C. Rogers, Jr.
President
Rogers & Willard, Inc.
3005 Mill St.
Mobile, AL 36607
www.rogerswillard.com
mrogers@rogerswillard.com
Office Direct Line 251-300-6580
Cell Phone 251-401-8798
Mike has lived most of his life in Mobile. He graduated from McGill-Toolen High School and received a degree in Building Science from Auburn University. In 1989 he returned to Mobile and co-founded Rogers & Willard, Inc… Since beginning his career, Mike has been involved with many non-profits. He is past chair of Centre for the Living Arts (CLA) where he oversaw the restoration of the historic Saenger Theatre and the conversion of the Mobile Press Register into a contemporary art center now known as Alabama Contemporary Art Center (ACAC). He is a graduate of Leadership Alabama and has served on many non-profit boards including Alabama Coastal Foundation, The Nature Conservancy of Alabama and the Alabama Architectural Foundation. He presently serves on the boards of Auburn University College of Architecture, Design and Construction and UMS-Wright Preparatory School. He is passionate about; arts and culture, affordable housing, the environment and attracting young professionals to Mobile. Mike is married to Cay MacClary and has three daughters; Catie (27), Jackie (25) and Leigh (12). He is an amateur photographer and avid outdoorsman. He particularly enjoys fishing, birding and travel.

June 9, 2016–Cart Blackwell

Cartledge Weeden Blackwell, III
Cartledge Weeden Blackwell, III was born in Selma, Alabama. Blackwell is the Assistant Director of the Mobile Historic Development Commission. His scholarly focus is on the architecture and decorative arts of the American South. Cart attended the College of Charleston (2001-2005) where he double majored in Art History and Historic Preservation & Community Planning. He received his MA in Architectural History from the University’s School of Architecture in 2008. Cart is currently working on two monographs. One focusing on artist-designer Clara Weaver Parrish is to be published by the University of Alabama Press. A second on architect George B. Rogers is the beginning stages of development.
In addition to his work with the Mobile Historic Development Commission and research endeavors, Cart also serves as the Alabama representative to the Southeast Chapter of the Society of Architectural Historians, a commissioner of the State of Alabama’s Bicentennial Committee, a board member of the Friends of the Alabama Department of Archives & History, a trustee of the Historic Mobile Preservation Society, a vestry member of Christ Church (Episcopal) Cathedral, a board member of the Friends of Magnolia Cemetery, and a board member of the Friends of the Mobile History Museum.

June 2, 2016–Kate Carver / Dumas Wesley Center

Kate Carver Biography
Kate Carver holds a bachelor of arts in English from University of Wisconsin – Madison. She has spent most of her career in the non-profit sector where she served in a number of key positions with the Salvation Army, the Mobile County Sheriff’s Office and HandsOn South Alabama. She is currently the Executive Director for the Dumas Wesley Community Center.
Kate is a member of numerous civic and community organizations. She is a graduate of Leadership Mobile and was recently selected as one of Mobile Bay Monthly’s 40 Under Forty. She has a favorite little sister, Jasmine, through the Big Brothers Big Sisters program and is a member of Government Street Presbyterian Church.
Kate and her husband David have a 2 year-old daughter, Sophia and a 2 month-old son, Micah. They reside in Spanish Fort, Alabama.
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April 28, 2016

Minutes of the Rotary Meeting – April 28, 2016
By: Henry R. Seawell, IV
Invocation, Song, Music and Pledge
Robbie McClure called the meeting to order. Chambliss Brister gave the invocation.
Tommy Blankenship led the song and pledge, accompanied by Les Greer on the piano.
Introduction of Guests and Visitors: Tom Martenstein. The meeting’s guests included Keith Coker and Nikki Coker. Keith is the president of Rotaract, Eastern Shore, which is a gathering of young Rotarians, ages 21-35, that meets in Baldwin County.
Student Guest: No student guest this meeting.
Announcements: Rotarians were reminded of the Rotary International meeting, which is scheduled to be held in Atlanta next year. Members of our group are encouraged to attend the conference. Robert Greer has arranged for a block of rooms and interested members should contact him for more information.
Program
Speaker: John Eads, Founder and Executive Director of Light of the Village, was introduced by Bill Kinnaird.
Mr. Eads formed the Light of the Village (the “Village”) in Alabama Village in Prichard. According to Eads, Alabama Village has the dubious distinction of being one of the most dangerous neighborhoods in the entire southeastern United States. The supporting figures are staggering. For instance, 21 people have been killed within 200 yards of the Village since 2003, including 5 shootings this year alone.
Despite the violence, Eads has successfully created an environment where neighborhood children can play and be tutored in the afternoons. The goal of the Village is to be a respite where children can experience faith, hope and love.
Eads began serving this community and engaging in this ministry in 2001. Several years later, the Village became a registered 501(c)(3) charitable organization and, about the same time, Mr. Eads left a successful career in management at Mobile Infirmary to solely devote his time and resources to the Village. Fifteen years into the ministry, Eads is pleased to announce that the Village is completely debt free and management and operating expenses only constitute 3% of that which is donated, the remainder is used for the children at the Village.
At the outset, Eads and his wife purchased a former crack house in the middle of Alabama Village and fully renovated the property. Today, there is a playground and other amenities that are used by the visitors to the Village. The Village is now operating three summer camps, each with over 100 campers and achieving excellent results. The Village took advice from “Urban Promise” in New Jersey and “Homeboy Entertainment” in Los Angeles to develop its best practices. The relationship with Homeboy has flourished and its representatives regularly travel to the Village and assist with its growth and success.
The Village has developed programs for consumers to obtain their GEDs and driver’s licenses, as well as providing job training. The campers have even reached out to perform their own ministry, traveling to Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, to build a home. This ministry continues to grow and is an excellent example of the impact a dedicated individual can have on our community.
The meeting was adjourned.